Hatbox



July 29 1924. 1,502,999

. P. E. MILLER HATBOX Filed March 9, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

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July 29. 1924- P. E. MILLER HATBox 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 9, 1925 31 mam H oz Patented July HATBOX.

Application filed. March 9.

I E. lllrLLEn, a co of the sited States, residing at hlescopeclr. in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, ha e invented cer tain new and useful improvements in Hatboxes of which the following is a specifica- U011. I

'lhislin'vention relates to a novel improvenent in hat boxes.

primary object is to provide s. col lapsible hat box which when set up will be than and which when collapsed will occupy but little space. Thus when travelling on trains, the user may protect her hat by set tingup the box and positioning her hat therein, and when it is undesirable to use the box it may be collapsed and packed in her suitcase. v

Another object of my invention lies in providing a hatbox of such a construction as will permit freedom of movement when inserting or removing a hat.

A further object is to provide a hat box having a hat-supporting means toprevent t 1e weight pf the hat being carried by the hat brim, the hatsupportihg means being of such a character that it will not interfere with the collapsing of the box;

A still further object is to provide a hanger for the box whereby the latter may be attached to the back of a car seat or other support.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one form of my invention:

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved hat box.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view there of,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the box in its collapsed position,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the hook supporting stay, and.

Figure 5 is a perspective view'of the hook.

As previously indicated, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a convenient way of carrying a hat, for example, a ladys hat when traveling, and to also provide a container which may be readily used in department stores or the like, and in which latter case would alford an attractive hat case which could conveniently bear the advertisement of the store, thus providing a device which has combined utility and advertising Value.

Referring to the drawings, my improved 1923. Serial No. 823,373.

collapsible hat box is formed from tiberoid. or other relatively stiff iibrous material and is prei e abli formed from a single blank to provide a rent wall 5, rear wall 6, side walls 'Z -T hingedly connected to said front and rear walls, bottom flaps tthingedly connectedto the side walls, a bottom closure 9 hingedly connected to the front wall and hav closure flap it),

top end flaps 1l--il hingedly connected to the side walls, and a top closure 12 hingedly connected to the rear wall 6 and having a wall 6- and the bottom closure flap 10 are respectively formed with openings 6 and l0 which will be brought into alinement when the parts set up as above described. A detachable fastener ll is inserted through these openings and serves to retain the bottom in its set-up position.

The upper portionof the front wall 5 is cut away'as at 15 to provide an opening of sufficient size to give freedom of movement to a hat while the latter is being inserted in the box or while being removed therefrom. The top closure flap 13 is adapted to extend below the cut-away portion 15, and is formed acent the lower edge with an opening 16 which'is reinforced with. a sheet metal stay 17 the opening being adapted to receiving the hasp 18 which is secured to the front wall 5, thus providing means for detachably locking the top closure 12 and flap 13 thereof against accidental opening.

In order to carry the box when set up I have provided a handle 19, the end portions thereof having interlocking engagements with straps 20-2O integrally formed inthe top closure 12 by slitting the latter.

It is desirable to provide means for supportinga hat within the box when the latter is set up whereby the weight of the hat will not be carried by the brim. To this end I have provided an elongated sheet metal stay 21 which lies againstthe upper central portion of the inner face of the rear wall 6 and is secured thereto by upper and lower fasteners 22 and 23, the longitudinal axis of the stay being disposed in a Vertical plane.

- for supporting the hat is formed from a piece of spring wire, the wire being rebent to form spaced upper and lower legs 27 and 28 which respectively terminate in upwardly and downwardly extending attaching feet 29 and 30. The feet are respectively positioned in an adjacent pair of bearings 24-24, the notch of the lower bearing receiving the lower leg 28 of the hook to form a detachable interlocking engagement therewith and thereby retain the hook in a plane at right angles to the plane of the rear wall. The hook is located at a point opposite the cut away portion 15 of the front wall and as a result easy access may be had to the hook when it is desired to adjust the vertical position thereof to conformto the-size of a given hat, or when it is desired to swing the hook into parallelism with the rear wall so as not to interfere with the proper collapsing of the boX.

In order to provide means for attaching the box to the back of a car-seat or other support, I have provided a sheet metal hanger 31 which is positioned against the rear face of the rear wall and is pivotallysecured not only to the rear wall but also to the stay 21 by the upper fastener 22. The hanger is of a length suflicient to project above the top closure and the upper or free end thereof is formed with an opening 32 through which a pin may be passed for supporting the box. When the hanger is not in use it may be swung downwardly to the position shown in Figure 3. By connecting the hanger and'stay together by the fastener 2 2 I avoid any tendency of the weight of the box and hat from tearing the rear wall or otherwise injuring the hanger conncction.

From the foregoing the advantages of the improvements will be readily apparent, and it will be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

l. A hat box comprising a collapsible body ada ted to be opened from its fiat condition to form a cubical receptacle, a metal stay fixed to the inside rear wall of the receptacle, a hat supporting hook connected to said stay, a hanger on the outside of said wall and also secured to said stay through the back wall of the receptacle.

2. A hat box comprising a collapsible body formed of relatively stiff paper scored along lines to produce folds whereby the body may be opened from its flat condition to form a cubical receptacle, a hat support carried by the inner rear wall of the body and the front wall of the body opposite the hat support be ing cut away to provide hat clearance, and the upper wall of said body being provided with a flap to cover said cut way portion, and a carrying handle fitted to said top wall.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PEARL E. MILLER. Vvitnesses A. J. HICKS, SARA H. Hrons. 

